1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a practicing apparatus, and more particularly to a baseball and softball practicing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional baseball and softball practicing apparatus in accordance with the prior art shown in FIGS. 7-9 comprises a housing 10 mounted on a stand 11, a ball throwing wheel 13 rotatably mounted on an inner side of the housing 10 and rotated by a motor 12, a feeding member 15 mounted on a front end of the housing 10 by a plurality of screws 14 and having an entrance 150 and two arc-shaped guide plates 16, and a press plate 18 adjustably mounted on the inner side of the housing 10 by a plurality of screws 17 and located above the ball throwing wheel 13. The press plate 18 has a bottom face provided with an arc-shaped guide member 19 that is movable with the press plate 18 to adjust the distance between the guide member 19 and the ball throwing wheel 13.
As shown in FIG. 8, the press plate 18 is located at a higher position, and the entrance 150 of the feeding member 15 having a greater diameter is exposed to allow insertion of a softball so that the softball enters the entrance 150 of the feeding member 15 and is clamped between the guide member 19 of the press plate 18 and the ball throwing wheel 13 to be ejected outward for use.
As shown in FIG. 9, the press plate 18 is located at a lower position, and the entrance 150′ of another feeding member 15′ having a smaller diameter is exposed to allow insertion of a baseball so that the baseball enters the entrance 150′ of the feeding member 15′ and is clamped between the guide member 19 of the press plate 18 and the ball throwing wheel 13 to be ejected outward for use.
However, it is necessary to screw and unscrew the screws 14 successively so as to replace the feeding member 15 and another feeding member 15′ having a smaller diameter, thereby greatly causing inconvenience to a user in selecting and changing the baseball and the softball. In addition, the height of the feeding member 15 cannot be adjusted, so that the speed of the ball cannot be adjusted. Further, the housing 10 is secured on the stand 11, so that the direction and inclined angle of the entrance 150 of the feeding member 15 cannot be adjusted, thereby limiting the versatility of the practicing apparatus.